The trip
Overview
Crossing from Australia to New Zealand by ship turns two long-haul destinations into a single, coherent journey. This itinerary opens with two nights in Sydney, follows with a twelve-night sailing that typically takes in Tasmania, the Fiordland sounds and a run up New Zealand's coast, and closes with two Auckland nights before the flight home. Possible calls include Hobart, Melbourne, Dunedin, Christchurch's port of Lyttelton, Wellington and Tauranga — the mix depends on the sailing, and the routing we confirm is always the one your ship operates.
The scenic heart is Fiordland: most trans-Tasman itineraries spend a day cruising Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds, where waterfalls drop straight into the sea and the ship feels appropriately small. Weather decides how deep the ship goes on the day — captains treat the sounds with respect, and so do we in describing them.
From the UAE, fly direct into Sydney and home direct from Auckland — an open-jaw pattern the Gulf carriers handle well. At around seventeen days door to door this is a genuine leave investment, sailing in the austral summer, which conveniently is the UAE's winter.
Highlights
- ✦Two-night Sydney stay with the Opera House and harbour up front
- ✦Scenic cruising of Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds, weather permitting
- ✦Possible calls at Hobart, Melbourne, Dunedin, Wellington and Tauranga
- ✦Two Auckland nights to finish, with Waiheke Island a ferry ride away
- ✦One unpack across two countries and the Tasman Sea
Who it suits
- ●Travellers with two-plus weeks of leave who want both countries in one trip
- ●Couples marking retirements, anniversaries or a once-a-decade journey
- ●Scenery-first cruisers — Fiordland belongs in the same sentence as Norway and Alaska
Why this journey works
- ✓Direct Gulf flights into Sydney and out of Auckland remove backtracking
- ✓The ship absorbs the Tasman crossing that would otherwise be another flight
- ✓City stays at both ends turn transit days into holiday days
Day by day
Days 1–3
Sydney on land
Fly direct from the UAE into Sydney and take two nights in a harbour-district hotel. The essentials fit comfortably: the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, the ferry to Manly, The Rocks for dinner. Board at the Overseas Passenger Terminal on day three — sailing out past the Opera House is the best departure in world cruising, and worth being on deck for.
Days 4–8
Tasman ports and the crossing
Depending on the selected sailing, the Australian leg can call at Melbourne and Hobart — Tasmania's harbour city with MONA and Salamanca Place — before two sea days crossing the Tasman. The crossing can be lively; the sea days are well spent on the ship's longer lunches and the naturalist lectures many lines run on this route.
Days 9–10
Fiordland scenic cruising
The ship spends a day, sometimes more, threading Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds — sheer walls, hanging waterfalls, fur seals on the rocks. There are no ports here; the scenery is the call. Entry into the sounds is always subject to weather and the harbourmaster, and we say so up front.
Days 11–15
Up the New Zealand coast
Calls drawn from Dunedin — with its Otago Peninsula albatross colony — Lyttelton for Christchurch, Wellington for Te Papa and the cable car, and Tauranga for Rotorua's geothermal country, depending on the sailing. The pattern is a port most days with the odd sea day, finishing with arrival into Auckland's harbour.
Days 16–17
Auckland to finish
Two nights in the City of Sails: Waiheke Island vineyards by ferry, the Sky Tower, the harbourfront. Then the direct flight home to the UAE — long, but one leg and done.
Possible ports of call
Route inspiration — line, ship and port mix confirmed against the actual sailing; Fiordland entry is always weather-dependent.
When to go
Trans-Tasman itineraries sail in the austral summer, roughly November to March — matching the UAE winter and the Christmas school break. December and January are peak; February and March often combine settled weather with better availability. Fiordland weather is changeable in any month, and sound entry is never guaranteed; the Tasman crossing can be calm or brisk, so pack for both.
Planning around seasons, regions and style? Read the full Australia destination guide →
What’s included
- ✓Cruise fare for the selected sailing and cabin category
- ✓Flights from Dubai or Abu Dhabi into Sydney and home from Auckland
- ✓Two hotel nights in Sydney and two in Auckland with breakfast
- ✓Transfers between airports, hotels and ports
- ✓Main-restaurant dining on board
- ✓PCT travel consultant support before and during travel
Not included
- —Shore excursions
- —Drinks packages unless quoted
- —Gratuities where the cruise line charges them
- —Travel insurance
- —Visas and electronic travel authorities where required
Ways to extend it
- +Three nights in Queenstown by internal flight after the cruise
- +Add the Blue Mountains or Hunter Valley from Sydney before sailing
- +Extend Auckland with a Bay of Islands escape
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